CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — As the world watched, Artemis II rocketed off the Florida coast Wednesday night with a crew of four astronauts returning to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
People in North Carolina watched on in excitement as the crew made history with one of North Carolina’s own onboard: astronaut Christina Koch.
The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina hosted a watch party where people of all ages witnessed another pivotal chapter in the exploration of the final frontier.
It’s not every day you get to see history.
Even though it happened on April 1, it wasn’t an April Fools’ prank.
Morehead Planetarium Education Specialist Amy Sayle said they were happy to host, especially considering another event was scheduled to help people spot planets, bright stars and constellations, before this historic event popped up on the schedule.
“I’m super excited because how lucky did we get to schedule this on this day? When we scheduled this show, we didn’t know that the launch was likely to happen right before the show,” Sayle said.
Sayle referenced the Starry Nights event that coincided with the launch.
Addy Elliott, 11, spoke before the launch.
“I’m excited to see the launch off, to see what is happening basically,” Elliott said. “It’s just so fascinating. I really like it.”
Her mother, Lynn Wagner, remembered the last lunar space mission and was overjoyed to watch it with her daughter.
“This a tremendous step for humanity, a tremendous step forward for science and technology and engineering, the first time since 1972,” Wagner said.
Wagner is right. It is the first lunar space mission since the Apollo series in the early 1970s.
It wasn’t the only first of the evening.
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson became the first woman ever to become launch director for a NASA space mission in 2016 and led Wednesday evening’s launch.
Koch will become the first woman to ever travel around the moon.
She grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina and graduated from N.C. State.
Wagner’s daughter was surprised and elated to learn that.
“Really special,” Elliott said.
Her mother emphasized the impact of seeing a woman from their state in outer space.
“The local connection is really special. It’s truly amazing. Women in science!” Wagner exclaimed.
Before loads of people filed into the Fulldome Theater, the area for the viewing party inside the planetarium, Sayle gushed about the meaning of having a woman and North Carolinian on this mission.
“People really respond to that. I would say I’ve talked about Christina Koch being on this mission for months now,” Sayle said. “I’ve seen how audiences will respond to that, and people get really excited when they hear a North Carolina astronaut is going to the moon.”
As people settled into their seats, counting down the seconds to liftoff, eyes, young, old and in-between were glued to the projector screen.
Then came the moment they had all been waiting for: a rocket launching into space.
A historic moment marked by little ones leaning on the edge of their seats.
“I teared up. It was incredibly moving,” Wagner said.
Part of what touched Wagner and her child was experiencing the viewing party together.
“It was really cool to see how far we have come with technology,” Elliott said.
Wagner described why it is important for young girls to see women on a life-changing trip to space.
“Knowing that anything is possible if you follow your dreams and work hard,” Wagner said.
A lesson her daughter took to heart.
“It was very, very crazy. I don’t how they can pull that off,” Elliott said.
The mission will last 10 days and will be the farthest a crew has ever traveled from earth on a human mission.
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